The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-12-17
THE ACCIDENT SEEKER.

llOll lllul lounu my Scll COlupcllSu
few weeks ago, to make a night
journey from Skanesville to Newton
Centres. The firm for which l trav-
el was bent on opening up new "ter-
itory" and had sent Inc out as pi-
oneer. Skanesville had not devel-
oped any considerable desire for our
goods, and, as its alleged "best"
hotel offered a most undesirable
compound of bad food and worse
beds, l determined to effect my es-
cape as soon as possible. To call
Skanesville "cross road town"
would be gross fiattery, for if ffhere
is such term as "cross ten road
town." then Skanesville is entitled
to that designation. 1t had been a
difficult place to get to, but study
of railroad guides showed it was
even a more difficult place to leave.
This was probably the principal
reason of the growth of the town-a
fact on which the Skanesvillites were
given to boasting. Two trains left
this inland paradise daily, at the
convenient hours of 11:30 p. m. and
4:25 a. m. To get to Newton Cen
tres l found l should have to ochange
three times on the night train, and
four on the early morning one. AS
l had two heavy sample trunks, l
chose the former. All Skanesville
seemed to go to bed at 8, so, shortly
after that hour, / went down to the
depot, hoping to find the ticket
agent q little livelier companion.
l was disappointed, as he combined
the offices of station master, ticket
seller and porter. In the latter ca
pacity, he had shortly before west
led with my trunks, and, when he
unhappily recognized me as their
proprietor, he crushed severely all
my attempts at familiarity. So l
sat and smoked, and walked and
smoked, till the train arrived, which
it naturally did about forty-five min
utes late. A sleeping car was an
unknow luxury on that road, so |
had prospect of a pleasant "sit up, u
varied by the numerous waits and
changes in store for me. Fortunate
ly, though the car was pretty well
filled, ! found two unoccupied seats,
and, having had one turned over, |
proceeded to make myself as com
Portable as possible, and tried to
catch nap. My comparative ease
was short lived, for at the next stop
ping place several people got on
board, and though pretended tC
be asleep, one unfeeling individual
came and sat himself on such por-
ton of the front seat as my feet left
uncovered. l watched him through
my almost closed eyelids, and did
like his aspect. Something, l did
not quite know what, gave his coun'
tenance a sinister look. AS he had
moved toward the seat, l noticed
that he limped slightly in his walk
There was certainly a kind of what
the Scotch term "uncanniness'
about him, and after few minutes
l took my feet from the seat, pre-
tended to rouse up, and mumbled Il
word OF apology about having taken
up so much loom. The stranger
begged me not to mention it, and
suggested that his feet did not in
convenience him. The steady glare
with which he seemed to be regard
ing me soon became so unpleasant
that l proposed he should have the
seat turned over, and thus avoid the
disagreeableness of sitting with his
back to the locomotive.
81 don't mind that a Bit" he said;
"besides it's more dangerous"
"More dangerous y l repeated in
astonishment.
"Yes haven't you noticed that in
the sleepers they always make up
the berth with the feet to the loco
motive ? That's because if there's Il
sudden jerk you are thrown for
ward. Now if your heads against
the forward partition, you probably,
in case Of accident, have yopr skull
split or break your neck"
"Then aren't you afraid of sitting
that way?" 1 asked.
'No, like it.
1 began to fear that l had got into
the company of a lunatic. l knew
there was an asylum somewhere in
the neighborhood. This mans
looks particularly in the one eye on
which the dim light of the lamp fell
had that peculiar glitter which l
had was characteristic Of the mad.